Ty's Take: Frosty, but not frozen

Even as some unseasonable snowmelt gave us a brief glimpse of an inevitable spring, frost-bite inducing cold soon smote us back to reality.

And as the weather plays see-saw, so to do some West Fargo sports teams. Last week saw a mess of splits, which shows that even though they may be frosty, at least they're not frozen.

Here's your weekly dose of Packer sports.

Boys hockey falls to GFC,beats Jamestown

The West Fargo hockey team started last week with a close loss in overtime to defending state champion Grand Forks Central. Then on Thursday, the Packers rebounded and hit the win column against Jamestown.

During Tuesday's game, the Knights (5-3-2 EDC, 9-5-2) scored two unanswered goals in the third period to force overtime, before Johnny Simonson notched the winner and his second goal of the game slightly more than two minutes into the extra period.

The Packers (7-4-1, 11-4-2) were ahead 4-2 going into the third period, receiving two goals from Jeremy Johnson, and one from both Conor Jonasson, and Tyler Berginski.

Keeping West Fargo in the game as long as possible was goalie Cameron Holland, who stifled an astounding 43 shots, compared with Central goalie Eric Melland's 21. Holland currently sits ninth in the state with goals against average of 2.87 among goalies with 10 or more games under their breezers. His 91 save percentage, however, is tied for fourth best in the state.

Packers points leader Jonasson added to his total with the first goal Thursday against Jamestown (6-6-1, 7-10-1). More than 10 minutes later in the first period, Charlie Torrance backed him up with a score of his own.

Ben Sorenson brought the Jimmies within one with less than two minutes left in the game. But Dusty Munyer's empty-netter sealed the win for West Fargo.

The No. 2 East Region Packers were slated to host No. 5 Fargo North (6-4-1, 9-5-1) on Tuesday, however, results were unavailable by press time. Their final two regular season games before the East Region tournament are 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10, at Grand Forks Red River, and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12, at home against Mandan.

Quick hits

 Boys basketball: The Packers (6-5, 7-5) split last week, falling 60-46 to Shanley on Tuesday, before beating Fargo Davies 57-47 on Friday. Jon Pistorius led West Fargo against the EDC-leading Deacons (9-2, 10-2) with two 3-pointers and 14 points. Brady Schwartz and Chase Farkas led the charge against the Eagles (1-9, 1-10) with 15 points apiece. West Fargo was scheduled to host Central (3-6, 3-8) on Tuesday, but results were not in by press time. The Packers host winless Devils Lake at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

 Girls basketball: West Fargo now is tied with Fargo Shanley (9-2, 10-2) at the top o fthe EDC after falling to them 63-44 on Tuesday. The Packers (9-2, 9-3) responded with a blowout 71-39 win over Bemidji, Minn., on Friday. They were scheduled to play at Central (8-1, 11-1) on Tuesday, but results were not in by press time. West Fargo's next game is 5:15 p.m. Saturday, at home hosting Devils Lake (8-4, 8-5).

 Wrestling: The Packers (4-1, 15-6) were strong last week, defeating the Roughriders 59-11 in a dual Thursday, before taking first place with 213 points at Saturday's Lee Wolf Invitational in Aberdeen, S.D. West Fargo's final matches before the postseason are Thursday's 7 p.m. dual hosting Fargo North (2-3, 7-13), and then a 7 p.m. dual Friday at Wahpeton (2-3, 4-12).

 Boys swimming and diving: West Fargo accrued 519 points to take first at last Saturday's Jamestown Invitational. The Packers' next endeavor is the two-day Bismarck Century Invitational, which begins Friday.